Some users face a weird issue where can’t scroll in Microsoft Excel. This can impact the sheet or even the complete workbook. Some reasons behind you not being able to scroll in Excel include active scroll lock, frozen panes, misconfigured scroll settings, and interfering add-ons. Try these fixes to resolve the locked scrolling error in Microsoft Excel.
Table of Contents
1. Check If You Can Scroll Elsewhere
Firstly, you must check if the scroll problem occurs in the Excel app only or if is it a system-wide issue. Minimize Microsoft Excel and open File Explorer or a web browser. Open a website and try to scroll with the mouse wheel. If you can scroll everywhere else except Microsoft Excel, then try the next method.
2. Terminate and Restart Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel can encounter a glitch and stop working properly. So, terminate the app and restart it. Here’s how:
1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys at once to open the Task Manager.
2. Find Microsoft Excel in the list and right-click on it. Select the End Task option.
3. Press the Windows key, type Excel, and press Enter to launch the app.
4. Open any file and check if you can scroll now.
3. Inspect the Shift Key
If you press the Shift key and then try scrolling in Excel, it won’t work. So, stop pressing the shift key, if you are doing it unintentionally. Also, check the Shift key to see if it isn’t stuck.
4. Turn Off the Scroll Lock
After checking the Shift key, check if the Scroll Lock is active or not. Some keyboards do not have an indicator to signify if the key is active or not. So, press the Scroll Lock key on your keyboard to disable it. Alternatively, you can also display the scroll lock status in Excel. Here’s how:
1. Open the file in Excel.
2. Navigate to the bottom ribbon and right-click on it. Click on the Scroll Lock option.
Now, you will see the scroll lock status in the bottom ribbon whenever it is active. You can use it as an indicator to disable it via the keyboard.
5. Unfreeze Panes in the View Settings
Frozen panes can prevent you from scrolling in Excel. If that is the case, you must Unfreeze Panes in the app. Here’s how to do it:
1. Go to the top bar in Excel and click on the View tab.
2. Click on the Freeze Panes option to expand the section. Then click on the Unfreeze Panes.
3. Now, try to scroll using the mouse and check if it works.
6. Check the Scroll Bar Status
Excel has both horizontal and vertical scroll bars and if you don’t see them in the app or they don’t work as intended, you must tweak its settings. Here’s how:
1. Go to the top bar and click on the File button.
2. Click on Options in the left sidebar at the bottom.
3. Now, click on the Advanced option.
4. Scroll down and locate the Display options for this workbook: section.
5. Click on the Show horizontal scroll bar checkbox to enable it. Then, click on the Show vertical scroll bar check box to enable it as well.
6. Now, click on the OK button to apply the changes.
7. Tweak Zoom Settings
If you have accidentally enabled an IntelliMouse setting in Excel, it will zoom the file instead of scrolling. So, you must disable the setting in Excel settings. Here’s how:
1. Go to the top bar and click on the File button.
2. Click on Options.
3. Now, click on the Advanced option.
4. Locate the Editing options section.
5. Click on the Zoom on roll with IntelliMouse checkbox to uncheck it. Then, click on the OK button.
6. Close the Settings window.
8. Change Mouse Wheel Properties
Many users found a workaround where changing the mouse wheel properties helped them to scroll one screen at a time in Excel. Here’s how to do it:
1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type control main.cpl,,3 in the text box and press Enter.
2. Click on the One screen at a time option.
3. Now, click on the Apply button and then click on the OK button.
4. Check if you can scroll now.
9. Reopen Excel File Without Add-ons
Oftentimes a VBA, macros, or an Excel add-on can cause problems with some files. So, you must launch Excel in safe mode and then open the file while effectively disabling all of these elements. Here’s how:
1. Completely close Excel using the Task Manager.
2. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type excel /safe in the text box and press Enter.
3. Excel will launch in safe mode now. Browse and open the file you were facing an issue with and check if the scrolling problem persists or not.
10. Repair the File
If the Excel file or workbook is corrupt, you can try repairing it. Here’s how:
1. Launch Excel and click on the Open option.
2. Browse your PC for the file and click on it to select it. Then click on the arrow icon next to the Open button and select the Open and repair option.
3. Click on the Repair button.
Wait for the file repair to complete. It will automatically open in a new window.
11. Update Microsoft Office
An outdated and buggy installation of Microsoft Office can also cause issues with one or more of the apps. So, you must manually update the app. Here’s how:
1. Open any Microsoft Office app (Excel, Word, or any other). Click on the Account option.
2. Click on the Update options icon. Then click on the Update Now option.
The utility will check for updates and install the latest one.
12. Repair Microsoft Office
If updating Microsoft Office didn’t fix the issue or you are already using an updated build, you must repair the current installation. Here’s how:
1. Press the Windows key, type appwiz.cpl, and press Enter.
2. Find Microsoft Office in the list and right-click on it. Select the Change option.
3. Click on the Repair button to perform a quick repair and fix common issues with the app.
4. Close the Control Panel and relaunch Excel to see if the problem occurs again.
13. Reinstall Microsoft Office
The last resort is to reinstall Microsoft Office on your PC. It will remove the buggy installation and corrupt files and then install a fresh copy of the app. Here’s how:
1. Press the Windows key, type appwiz.cpl, and press Enter.
2. Find Microsoft Office in the list and right-click on it. Select the Uninstall option.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to remove the program from your PC.
4. Redownload and install Microsoft Office on your PC. Check and see if the issue is fixed or not.
Scroll Freely in Excel
We hope you are able to scroll in Microsoft Excel now. Meanwhile, you can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move from one cell to another. It may not be as fast as using a mouse wheel but gets the job done as you will be effectively scrolling up and down the sheet.
